


you've got a message! (wait for it)

by catallena (moonbelles)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, kudos if u know where the quote is from!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24575905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbelles/pseuds/catallena
Summary: Jaemin writes a message in a bottle which reaches Jeno.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55
Collections: NOMIN FIC FEST





	you've got a message! (wait for it)

**Author's Note:**

> prompt #106
> 
> to my prompter: thank you so much for providing this prompt - i had so much fun writing this! i hope this somehow lives up to your expectations, and that you won't be disappointed (ahaha...). hope you like it!
> 
> also sorry if my tenses get mixed up in between... this was un-betad and i wrote a lot of this between 12-3am. i also apologise for any inaccuracies!
> 
> enjoy!

**August 2010: Haeundae Beach. Busan, Korea.**

“Honey, we’re here!” Jaemin’s mother announces excitedly. Glancing out of the car window, hundreds of tourists and locals alike could be seen gathering along the shoreline of Haeundae Beach, the sunlight gleaming against the span of the ocean. Jaemin had not been to Busan in years – he had been waiting for this trip since the beginning of the summer holiday. Pressing his cheeks against the car window, he let the warmth of the sunlight hit his face.

The moment his father’s car pulls to a stop, Jaemin practically leaps out of the car, excitement evident in his every step. He remembers the small tuck store on the side of the beach from the last time he visited – he was determined to go back to buy his favourite drink, Milkis, because it was the only time his mother would let him get that drink. Something about being health conscious or whatever – Jaemin didn’t really understand. He just liked the way the drink fizzled on his tongue. It was exactly what summer felt like.

Hurrying up to the shop, he drew out a cold, fresh bottle of Milkis from the depths of the refrigerator – the sight of the green plastic bottle never failed to make him feel all giddy. His mother smiles and shakes her head, pushing a few coins into her son’s waiting hands. Presenting the coins onto the counter proudly to the cashier, the cashier beams down at him. He twists open the cap of the bottle with all his might (without dad’s help!), and takes his first sip. Ah, the sweet taste of success.

Clutching his drink, they walked along the beach looking for a spot with shade. Finding a shady area covered by neighbouring palm trees, they settled down with their picnic mat. Basking under the warmth of the sun, Jaemin’s parents were on the verge of dozing off. Right before the arms of sleep fully embraced them, Jaemin’s mother didn’t fail to warn Jaemin: “don’t go to far, dear!” And, well, obviously he wouldn’t have. Right?

But Jaemin was bored. Though he really enjoyed being on holiday, he couldn’t help but think that it would be so much more fun with Renjun and Donghyuck around. Before he left for Busan, he said his sad goodbyes to Renjun and Donghyuck back home, promising to return soon with souvenirs (would he even be able to find any?). Maybe writing a letter to both of them would make them feel as if they were here in Busan with Jaemin too. Jaemin rummaged through his mother’s bag, trying to find pen and paper. For some reason, Jaemin’s mother did have a pen in her bag – and one sheet of paper. Just one. But he wanted to write to both Renjun and Donghyuck – just writing to one of them would be so unfair. Jaemin did not want to feel mean – so he dropped the idea of writing to his best friends. Who else could Jaemin possibly write to? Glancing at the abandoned Milkis bottle on the edge of the mat, he feels a sudden wave of inspiration. 

_Hello_ , Jaemin starts. That did not feel right. Jaemin scratches that out.

 _August 12th, 2010 (one day before my 10th birthday)._ Now that seems right. Jaemin smiles to himself, and proceeds to write feverishly, ink smudging over his chubby hands. He glances at his parents – definitely deep asleep. He folds up the letter quickly, sliding the pen back into his mother’s bag cautiously. Gripping the bottle in one hand tightly and his letter in the other, he runs down to the shore where he sees a rock pool. Trudging upon the rocks carefully, he shoves the letter into the bottle hastily, screwing on the cap as tightly as possible. He looks up, looking out far into the horizon. The soft breeze of the wind blows on his face. Taking a deep breath, he musters up all his courage and might – pitching the plastic bottle as far as he could –

It doesn’t land very far. He shrugs. Oh, well. At least he tried. A little defeated, he steps down from the rocks, returning to his parents.

In the distance, the bottle bobbles up and down along with the waves like a buoy – far away from Jaemin’s imagination.

-

 **July 2019: San Vito lo Capo beach. Sicily, Italy.**

Jeno’s parents had promised to bring him and his sister to a long vacation in Europe the summer before Jeno left for university. Which is why, at the moment, Jeno is strolling along San Vito lo Capo beach in Sicily, Italy. It was in the smack dab in the middle of the summer, which made the searing, burning hot sand so difficult to walk on without having his shoes on. But the bottom of his feet were covered with the fine grains of sand – putting his socks and sneakers back on would make them difficult to clean.

Sighing, Jeno runs down to the edge of the water, just to dip his feet in. The moment his toes touch the surface of the cool, refreshing water, he sighs in content.

“Come over!” Jeno waves his sister and parents over. Lifting up his shorts, he steps further into the water, submerging his feet in. Moments later his sister joins him, toeing the water first before jumping in. The waves gently roll along the shoreline, bringing the debris and rougher grains of sand along with it. Jeno watches the waves, spotting something green washing ashore. He wades up to the shallower parts of the water, and reaches for the object before the waves bring it back into the rest of the ocean again.

“Jeno, put that down! You don’t know where it’s been,” his sister calls out to him, voice laced with concern. Pretending not to hear her, Jeno lifts the object up carefully to examine it further. It was a green plastic bottle. Despite the plastic label on the bottle weathering away from the effects of time, the faded Korean letters printed on it were unmistakable – Milkis. Though the contents inside the bottle had been consumed, it was not empty. Curious despite her words of warning, Jeno’s sister scurries over to where Jeno was standing.

“Is that a Milkis bottle?” Jeno’s sister muses incredulously, running her fingers along the plastic label on the bottle.

“It totally is. And I think there’s something inside, too!” Jeno shakes the bottle in excitement. His sister’s eyes widen like saucers, eyebrows raising.

“You should totally open it,” his sister encourages, any previous signs of concern towards Jeno picking up a foreign object dissipated in a matter of seconds. Jeno twists open the cap with more strength than he expected – whoever closed the bottle had a lot of strength. Finally popping the cap open, the siblings peer into the bottle - revealing a folded note. The siblings gasp in delight. Jeno tips the bottle over eagerly.

Jeno opens up the note, his sister peering over his shoulder in anticipation.

_August 12th, 2010 (one day before my 10th birthday)._

_To whoever is reading this:_

_Hello, my name is Na Jaemin. I am turning 10 tomorrow, on August 13th. I am living in Seoul, Korea. I am currently in Busan for summer vacation. My parents brought me here to celebrate my birthday. I am having fun but it would be more fun if my best friends Renjun and Donghyuck were with me. If you find this please send a letter back (I will put the address and email at the back). My favourite colours are pink and blue. Please write back and we can be friends._

_Sincerely,  
Jaemin._

There was a beat of silence between them, the realisation of what was happening dawning upon them. “This is so crazy, Jeno,” his sister breaks the silence, whispering in awe. Equally in awe, Jeno was speechless. How did a letter written in Korea, by a child, find its way to Italy 9 years later in the hands of Jeno and his sister? Any local could have found it, but it was Jeno who found it. And it was in a Milkis bottle of all things – Jeno finds that equal parts amusing, shocking and hilarious at the same time.

“Wait, if this letter was written in 2010 by a 10 year-old, doesn’t that make him the same age as you now?” Jeno’s sister turns to face him, looking at him quizzically.

“Holy shit,” Jeno replies intelligently.

“You have to write back, Jeno. You have to,” Jeno’s sister looks at him with a newfound determination on her face. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Jeno! Isn’t that exciting?”

Jeno’s face falls. “But what if he doesn’t live at the same address anymore?” Jeno flips over the piece of paper, studying the address intently.

“Well there’s an email, dumbass,” Jeno’s sister laughs. “Or just find him on Facebook if it doesn’t work. The internet is a wealthy resource.” Jeno didn’t even realise the person had written their email address. Jeno decided to try his luck - the possibility of the person still living at the same address was uncertain. Emailing would be his next best chance - even if the person didn’t use the same address anymore, it was still worth a shot. Feeling successfully persuaded, Jeno hums in agreement, folding up the letter. He tucks it in the pocket of his shorts, keeping it safe. 

For the rest of the vacation, the letter that came in the bottle was the only thing on his mind.

**August, 2019: Jeno’s room. Seoul, Korea.**

The second they returned home from Italy, writing a return letter to a certain boy by the name of Na Jaemin was his sister’s first priority. Tired of his sister constantly pestering him, Jeno sat down in front of his laptop at 8:32pm after dinner on a Friday night, racking his brain with ideas on how to reply.

What would even be an appropriate way to respond?. Scrolling through the photo gallery on his phone, he tried to find the picture he took of the letter. After staring at it for a while, he began to type out a response.

_Dear Na Jaemin,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Lee Jeno. I am 19 years-old, and I am living in Seoul, South Korea. Recently, I was on vacation with my family in Sicily, Italy. We visited the San Vito lo Capo beach on the 15th of July of this year._

_My sister and I were wading through the water when we saw a green, plastic bottle – when we saw it, it was unmistakably a Milkis bottle! When we opened it up, we found the letter that you wrote in 2010, 9 years ago, just a day before your 10th birthday. Upon reading the letter, my sister strongly urged me to write back. So here I am, writing to you._

_For your reference, I have attached a map below of where exactly your bottle was found by us._

_(IMAGE_SANVITOBEACH.JPG)_

_10 year-old you would probably find this really cool, and I hope this letter doesn’t get lost along the way._

_If you would like to respond to this letter, you can find me at this email address:_

_bongshikseolnal_0423@gmail.com ._

_Sincerely,  
Jeno._

_P.S. – Happy early birthday!_

Satisfied, Jeno clicks the send button and wished for the best. 

**August 13th, 2019: Jaemin’s room. Seoul, Korea.**

As much as Jaemin enjoyed the attention that came with birthdays, he was not in the mood for it this year. He really did not want anyone to see him while he was stuck in bed sick and sniffling. He reaches above his bedside table to blindly grab at his phone, only to knock over his alarm. 

“Fuck,” he hisses, bending down to reach for his phone. He feels something in his back crack as he leans down. He really needed to get back into shape and be a functioning member of society. His phone lights up as he picks it up, dozens of notifications flooding his phone. There were about 10 missed texts from Renjun. 

**renjun** : yo can i come over tonight

 **renjun** : or like tmr if you’re still not feeling well 

**renjun** : hellloooooooooooooo 

**renjun** : u want me to bring food over?? 

Jaemin grunts. He unlocks his phone, quickly typing a reply to Renjun, fingers fumbling over the tiny keyboard. Typing was especially hard when you were sick and delirious. 

**jaemin** : nah it’s ok i’m still feeling kinda shit and i don’t want to pass it on to you 

**jaemin** : thanks tho i’ll text u tomorrow if i’m feeling better 

Out of habit and boredom, Jaemin clicks into every single notification - seeing the notifications bar all cleared was a satisfying sight. Swiping down to refresh his email inbox, the tiny whoosh sound signalled new mail in his inbox. Jaemin clicks into it, expecting it to be another promotional email or the local library sending an automated email about his 2-year overdue books that were probably gathering dust somewhere in his house. 

The email subject was titled _‘happy birthday - you’ve got a message!’_. Who even writes emails like that? 

Jaemin starts to scroll through the email. The further down he got in the message, he feels an increasing amount of shock, disbelief - and mostly confusion. His sick brain was not quite processing the information - he barely even remembers throwing a bottle into the sea. It was but a vague and distant memory to him. How did this even happen? He thought situations like these only occurred in fiction. The fact that he, Na Jaemin, was experiencing this, felt extremely bizarre. It felt, quite literally, like a fever dream. 

He clicks into the image that was attached by the sender, typing the location into the search engine. Seeing images of the place his bottle had supposedly reached made it feel much more real. 

“Holy shit. Holy shit,” Jaemin whispers repeatedly to himself, as if muttering those words under his breath like a mantra would help him make sense of it all. After scrolling through the search results of the location, he decided that this was something he couldn’t just keep to himself - he picked up his phone, fingers feverishly typing. 

**jaemin** : wait actually no can u come tonight 

**jaemin** : have something super cool to show u like wtf??????? wtf 

**jaemin** : actually still reeling bc WTF just happened 

**jaemin** : pls come over i’ll wear a mask so don’t worry about me coughing on your face

Renjun either never checks his phone for 6 hours straight, or replies within 5 seconds. Jaemin was glad that the latter happened in this very peculiar situation. 

**renjun** : ??? lol wtf u ok? 

**renjun** : coming right over 

The 10 minutes Jaemin spends waiting for Renjun did nothing but make him increasingly anxious - how should he proceed with this? But that was exactly what Renjun was going to be here for. Rational Renjun has never failed Jaemin once. 

Renjun arrives after what felt like hours, and Jaemin immediately shoves his laptop into Renjun’s face. Renjun’s face contorts from a neutral expression to a visibly confused one - eyebrows drawn together in a scowl. But upon clicking into the image attached to the email, as well as the images that appeared from Jaemin’s quick search - his eyes grow wide, like he just made some life-changing revelation in his head. 

Renjun pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Wait, don’t tell me this was from that time you tried sending a message in a bottle from when you were what, 10 years old?” 

“Yeah, exactly that. How did you remember that so quickly? That shit was like almost 10 years ago, I can’t believe you remember that,” Jaemin looks at Renjun incredulously. 

Renjun rolls his eyes in response, waving Jaemin off. “I do Sudoku everyday, why do you think my memory is better than yours? But holy shit,” 

Jaemin perches himself on the chair Renjun was sitting on, interrupting his thoughts - “I hope you’re done having a realisation, because the real reason why I called you over is because I’m struggling to formulate a response. So, thoughts?” 

This earns another eye roll from Renjun, leaning away from Jaemin. 

“You should respond, I think. You’d be dumb not to. I think it could turn out really interesting. The guy is literally our age - you could potentially make a new friend. And even if it goes terribly wrong, just block the guy.” Renjun had his ‘deep-in-thought’ face on, mixed with a bit of disbelief. 

“And the fact that this guy, out of all people, received your message - that’s seriously insane. I think it’s worth a try to get to know this guy a bit more.” Then a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Or, you know, maybe a potential love interest, since Tinder isn’t working so well for you,” Renjun snickers. Jaemin groans, tackling Renjun. Renjun struggles against Jaemin’s hold, laughing nonetheless. 

“Ok, this is where the discussion ends. Help me draft an email back,” Jaemin lifts himself off Renjun, grabbing his phone. 

“I really think you should give him your Instagram handle or something, so you guys can communicate more easily. Like who even emails their friends these days?” Renjun suggests, swivelling his chair around to face Jaemin. Jaemin had not even thought about that. 

Jaemin quickly types a response, attaching his personal Instagram handle. Renjun peers over his shoulder, humming in approval. After sending the email out, both of them heave out a sigh of relief. 

“And now we wait,” Jaemin says while fiddling with his fingers, in nervous anticipation of a response from the other end. 

“And now we wait,” Renjun echoes, leaning back in his chair. 

The two of them talk about everything and nothing, and after an excruciating long wait (20 minutes), Jaemin hears a ping from his phone. Jaemin made sure to leave his ringer on, in case he missed any emails from the other end. The shrill sound of the email notification alerts both of them, Renjun springing up from his chair to look at Jaemin’s phone. 

Heart hammering against his chest, Jaemin swiped open the notification. 

_Wow, I really didn’t know what I was expecting when I sent out this email - I wasn’t even sure if you were still using this email address! I’m so glad you responded though._

_I think I should formally introduce myself again - I’m Lee Jeno, 19, and I’m about to start university. Nice to meet you, Jaemin! And sure, I’ll follow you - my Instagram handle is @jenobongshik423 btw._

_Looking forward to more chats!! :) - Jeno_

“Who even is Bongshik?” Renjun says after a moment of silence. Jaemin turns to look at Renjun, bursting into laughter. 

“He replied, and this is the first thing you ask? I guess we’ll figure it out later,” Jaemin says, equally as confused as Renjun on this Mystery Bongshik’s identity. He swipes out of his mailbox to type Jeno’s username into the Instagram search bar. Jeno’s Instagram page immediately pops up - Jaemin clicks into it eagerly, pressing the follow button. 

The most recent picture posted on his Instagram was a photo of a boy, presumably himself, holding a cat - captioned with ‘just fed this little one tuna!’ 

“Cute,” Renjun comments, and Jaemin has to agree - there was something about seeing a boy smiling at a cat that made his heart feel warm. Whoever this Jeno person was - he seemed extremely wholesome. Seeing that one picture alone made Jaemin feel safe and at ease - in the literal sense that he felt like he was not about to get blackmailed by a random stranger, and in the figurative sense that he felt like there was some kindness in this world. 

“Yeah, he is,” Jaemin gestures to Jeno’s blonde hair - “I like his hair too,” 

Renjun wrinkled his nose. “Dude, I was referring to the cat,” he says, throwing Jaemin a weird look. 

Scrolling deeper into his feed, he sees a variety of pictures showcasing his everyday life - lots of pictures of him and his friends, random pictures of nice views and scenery. Occasional pictures of cats. Actually, lots of cats. However, there was one rare photo of Jeno alone by himself - a close-up shot of his face, head slightly tilted. The lighting really did him justice - casting all the right shadows on his face, showing-off his prominent, defined facial features. Jaemin thinks to himself that Jeno should really post more pictures like this of himself. 

Moments later, Jaemin sees a message pop up - it was none other than user @jenobongshik423. Excitedly, Jaemin clicks into the message immediately. 

**jenobongshik423** : hey!! this is jeno if ur wondering 

**jenobongshik423** : hey!! this is jeno if ur wondering 

**jenobongshik423** : oh shit idk why that sent twice i’m sorry :[ 

Jaemin suppresses a laugh, finding it endearing. Before Jaemin had a chance to respond, Jeno starts to type again - Jaemin waits until he finishes typing. 

**jenobongshik423** : but yeah hi!! it’s your birthday today right?? happy birthday!! hope you’re having a great day

The fact that Jeno, of all people in this world, remembered his birthday only further contributed to Jaemin’s impression of Jeno - that he was a nice person. He was touched. Maybe there was some good in this world. 

**nana0813** : yes!! it’s jaemin here ^^

 **nana0813** : sorry it took me a second to respond there - i was really touched that you remembered my birthday, thank u so much !!!! 

**nana0813** : and ugh i’m actually sick right now but my best friend came over so i guess i’m feeling better 

Jeno’s reply was immediate. 

**jenobongshik423** : oh no :(( it’s no fun being sick on your birthday 

**jenobongshik423** : you should celebrate properly once you feel better, bully your friends into treating you to a meal 

**nana0813** : already planning on it LOL (devil emoticon) 

Jaemin learns that Jeno was born and raised in Seoul, just like he was - and he didn't go anywhere else for university because he didn’t feel quite like leaving home yet. He also learns that like him, Jeno was a bit of an adrenaline junkie - something that was evident from the pictures he’d posted of him and friends going surfing, wakeboarding. He finds out that Jeno is, unfortunately, allergic to cats - but loves them to the point where he volunteers weekly at the local cat shelter. 

They share random trivia about each other - such as Jaemin sharing that he cried when he lost his first tooth. Jeno had laughed at that, leading him to tell the story of how he found out he lost a tooth once because he had fried chicken - mistaking the tooth for a bone. Jaemin wasn’t so sure about how the conversation had spiralled into that direction, but he liked it. 

The two continue exchanging messages back and forth throughout the night - neither of them realising they had been continuously talking for 4 hours straight. 

**nana0813** : oh shit it’s already 4am?? i should go to bed 

**jenobongshik423** : omg i didn’t even realise, i gotta sleep too 

**jenobongshik423** : it was really nice talking to you!! this was super fun 

**jenobongshik423** : talk tmr?? 

**nana0813** : ofc!! gn :D

-  
Weeks pass of Jeno and Jaemin constantly exchanging messages - talking to Jeno was a new thing in his life that he looked forward to doing everyday. Jeno was easy to talk to - to Jaemin, it felt like talking to an old friend. Their friendship had gotten to a level where they would ask about each others’ days out of genuine interest in each other. Jeno would send him random pictures of his failed ramen - and that would spiral into another conversation about how to make ramen properly.

 **jenobongshik423** : [sent an attachment]

 **nana0813** : … 

**nana0813** : is that ramen 

**jenobongshik423** : …yes

 **nana0813** : … [thumbs up emoji] 

Jaemin found that oftentimes, Jeno would be the last person he texted before he went to sleep - in the oddest hours of the morning, he would receive random texts from Jeno. Jaemin had not realised how much of a presence Jeno took up in his life, until Jeno unknowingly became the first person he’d think of telling whenever he saw something funny or interesting - or depressing. 

**nana0813** : i think i failed my quiz of the semester

 **nana0813** : lol 

**jenobongshik423** : oh hey it’s ok :/ like you said it was only the first quiz 

**jenobongshik423** : don’t be too hard on yourself dude college is hard 

**jenobongshik423** : we still haven’t met in person, so if it makes u feel any better i’ll buy you ramen? 

Jaemin smiles to himself upon reading Jeno’s texts. He could always count on Jeno to lift his mood. He hears someone cough loudly behind him. 

“What’s so funny? Care to share the joke with the rest of us?” Donghyuck teases, lying on top of a displeased Renjun. The three of them had gathered together to “study”, but none of them were in the mood to do anything productive. 

“It’s Jeno, duh,” Renjun deadpans, and Donghyuck raises an eyebrow. 

“So, when are you meeting him?” Donghyuck questions, and Jaemin grunts. 

“He just offered to meet-up and buy me ramen because I failed my test,” Jaemin responds, and Donghyuck whistles. 

“Tell us how it goes,” Renjun pipes in. Jaemin nods, catching himself smiling again. Damn, he really is in this Jeno BFF shit for life. 

-

After a long day of classes, Jeno decides to settle down at a cafe nearby campus to work on his upcoming deadlines. He had always walked by this cafe on his way to classes - it was a little smaller than your average coffee shop, but there was always a long queue outside. Today, there was no queue surprisingly - so Jeno decided to check the cafe out. 

Pushing open the door, the chimes tinkered gently against the glass. Inside, the cafe was packed - but Jeno still managed to find a vacant seat in a booth near the windowsill. He set down his bag, heading towards the counter to buy a drink. Busy staring at his phone, he had not even realised it was his turn until the barista’s soft “How may I help you?” had alerted him.

Jeno looked up, a mop of pink hair appearing in his line of vision. Jeno’s eyes widened - the pair of eyes that were looking right at him were unmistakable. Jeno could never fail to recognise that face from all those Instagram photos and selfies. That was most definitely Jaemin. Looking equally shocked, Jaemin was staring right back at him, mouth slightly ajar. 

“Jaemin?” Jeno says out loud, in obvious disbelief. 

“Jeno? No way, holy shit. Is that you?” Jaemin’s eyes widened even more, unable to contain his surprise. Someone behind them clears their throat, making a show of turning their wrist and looking at their watch. 

“Right, sorry,” Jaemin looks down at the cash register, flustered, then looks up again.

“What would you like, Jeno? It’s on me. Do you mind staying for a bit? My shift ends in half an hour, we can talk then,” Jaemin looks up at Jeno in earnest, hoping that would make up for the time Jeno had to wait. 

“Yeah dude, of course. See you in a bit. And anything is fine, really,” Jeno grins at Jaemin, and Jaemin hurries to key in his order. 

In a matter of seconds, Jeno is out of Jaemin’s sight, waiting in the corner to collect his drink. Jeno was glad he had a moment to gather his thoughts - he was struggling to process what had just happened in the past minute. Jaemin didn’t look quite exactly like he did in photos - his photos did not really do him justice. Even though Jaemin had complained to him that his pink hair was fading - it looked perfectly fine in person. Jeno pulled out his laptop to try and focus on some work before Jaemin ended his shift - but his mind was too preoccupied with suddenly bumping into Jaemin out of the blue. 

Staring intently at the screen in front of him, Jeno did not even realise when a figure plopped down in the chair in front of him. 

“Hi, Jeno,” a voice from behind his laptop screen causing him to snap out of his reverie. 

Jeno jumps a little, and when he shuts the lid of his laptop and sees Jaemin, his expression eases into a smile. 

“Holy shit, Jaemin, hi,” Jeno says. The fact that Jaemin was sitting right before him not quite hitting him yet. “I didn’t even realise you worked in this cafe.” 

Jaemin laughs, patting his hair back in place. “I mean, I did say I worked in a cafe near your campus on some days, but I never specified which one.” Jeno watches Jaemin remove his apron, and slides his drink over to Jaemin, offering it to him. 

Jaemin’s eyes light up, happily taking the drink in his hands. “Thanks, I made you my favourite drink, by the way.” 

“Strawberry milkshake, huh,” Jeno watches as Jaemin takes huge generous slurps, but he doesn’t mind. Jeno was surprised how comfortable this was for a first meeting between two strangers who met online - despite their conversations being not awkward at all online, he always wondered what it would be like to have a conversation with Jaemin in person. 

Sitting in a cafe like that with Jaemin felt like catching up with an old friend - thinking about it now, Jeno could not think of a more fitting place for them to have their first meeting. They fell easily into conversation - listening to Jaemin’s voice go on about mindless things put him at ease in a way. This gave Jeno an opportunity to observe Jaemin up-close - his eyelashes were really, really long. Really long. A weird thing to notice about someone while they are passionately talking about making strawberry milkshakes, and how they tasted even better now because strawberries were in season. 

Jaemin must have caught Jeno staring. 

“What are you staring at?” Jaemin suddenly says, surprising Jeno a little. Jeno must have gone red, because Jaemin laughs again, a smug look on his face. Jeno noticed that Jaemin liked to laugh a lot. 

“Uh, your eyelashes, they’re really long,” Jeno blurts out, suddenly realising that what he just said could have come off strangely. “Sorry, was that weird?” Jeno apologises, becoming self-aware. 

“No, not at all. Want to touch them?” Jaemin points to his eyelashes, wiggling his eyebrows at the same time. Jeno throws Jaemin a horrified look, and Jaemin cackles. Very funny. 

“I’m just kidding, don’t look so scared,” Jaemin says, delighted, clearly finding joy in the way Jeno’s face scrunched up in horror. 

“But I have something to ask, Jeno,” Jaemin continues, stirring the straw in Jeno’s drink, taking another huge slurp. Jeno makes a confused noise at the sudden interrogation, but gestures for Jaemin to continue. 

“So,” Jaemin leans forward, lowering his voice in a hushed whisper as if about to disclose a world-class secret. “Who is Bongshik?” 

That was not what Jeno expected the question to be. It was Jeno’s turn to burst out in laughter, eyes forming crescent moons. “You’re not being serious, are you?” 

Jaemin blinks, confused: “That was a genuine question.” 

Jeno tries hard to stifle his laughter. “Really? Dude, that’s my cat,” and Jaemin’s expression went through several changes in that split second - finally settling on a “I-finally-understand-what’s-going-on” kind of expression. 

“I thought my email address and the pictures of my cats on Instagram made it obvious enough. That’s like a dead giveaway,” Jeno says, and Jaemin huffs, looking defeated. 

“Oh, so just a cat then, so nobody I have to worry about,” Jaemin says, after finally processing the information that Bongshik, the Mysterious Bongshik, was a cat. 

“What is that even supposed to mean! And no, It’s not just ‘a cat’! She’s my baby,” Jeno says defensively, nose scrunching up. “And it’s 3 cats. Bongshik, Seol, and Nal,” Jeno explains. “They’re all my babies,” Jeno adds, like a parent trying not to show favouritism to any child. 

“Ah, so that’s what your email means,” Jaemin says, realisation finally dawning upon him. 

“I guess so,” Jeno chuckles, finding Jaemin’s shock amusing. 

The conversation continues with Jeno telling Jaemin about his cats - Jaemin begging for Jeno to crown him as his cats’ official godfather. Before they know it, they talk until the cafe’s closing hours - with promises to meet again soon. 

-  
**December, 2019.** **Outside the ramen store.**

Jeno stands outside in the cold as Jaemin pays the bill. They had been going on regular ramen dates for the past 4 months, taking turns paying for each other, and this time was Jaemin’s treat. Jeno wasn’t even sure if he could call these dates - that’s what Jaemin likes to call them, but maybe that’s what he liked to call his outings with everyone else. Not that Jeno minded calling these dates. In fact, he kind of liked that Jaemin referred to these outings as dates - it made Jeno feel obligated to dress nicely, unlike how he usually dressed (like a tired college student). Rubbing his hands together, he hears a tinkling of bells against the door of the shop, seeing Jaemin emerge from the inside. 

“Oh, finally,” Jeno breathes out, a puff of smoke hovering around his mouth. 

“Sorry, there was a queue inside to pay, are you really cold?” Jaemin takes Jeno’s hands into his own, rubbing them between his own in attempt to keep them warm. Jaemin says all this, but he looked even colder than Jeno - his nose was twinged with a hint of pink, despite being wrapped in a huge coat. 

“You should have worn a scarf as well,” Jeno points out, and Jaemin sniffles in response, proving Jeno’s point right. 

“I know,” Jaemin adjusts his coat as they walk out onto the dimly lit alleyway. “Can we go to the convenience store to get hot drinks or something?” Jeno nods in agreement, and they hurry out the alleyway onto the main road. 

They stick together closely, and at one point Jaemin links arms with Jeno, like a penguin huddling for warmth. Jaemin had been doing this a lot lately - and Jeno wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold weather, or because Jaemin simply liked doing that. Jeno has had a lot of doubts about Jaemin’s behaviour towards him lately - but he figured that he was fine with it as long as it kept Jaemin happy. 

They reach a small convenience store soon enough, and as Jaemin pushes open the door, he gasps in delight. 

“Milkis!” He runs up to the refrigerator, and Jeno has to resist the urge to sigh. Typical Jaemin. 

“I thought you wanted hot drinks, they’re over there,” Jeno gestures to a cabinet with hot drinks, informing Jaemin. 

“But Milkis,” Jaemin whines, like a child. 

“That’s very Jaemin of you,” Jeno sighs in response. 

“Yeah, and that’s very Jeno of you to point that out,” Jaemin retorts, holding the Milkis bottle close. Jeno picks a hot can of coffee for himself, and also just in case Jaemin wanted something hot to drink later. 

“I’ll pay for that,” Jeno reaches over to grab Jaemin’s Milkis bottle, and Jaemin does not refuse. 

The cashier checks out their products, and they walk out of the store, Jeno handing Jaemin’s drink over to him. 

As expected, Jaemin takes a sip out of Jeno’s drink. 

“You know, I’ve been reading more lately, and I came across this quote - ‘A person who has good thoughts can never be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely,’” Jaemin says, all of a sudden.

“And?” Jeno responds, not expecting any elaborate explanation from Jaemin. 

“And? I don’t know, it really reminded me of you,” Jaemin replies easily, as if it was natural that every little thing reminded him of Jeno. 

“Oh,” Jeno replies, dumbfounded. “Wait, what are you trying to say?” 

Seeing Jeno’s confused expression, Jaemin says: “I’m trying to say that you look nice because of your positive energy. That came out kind of wrong. I meant like, of course you look nice, that’s a given, but the fact that you’re always trying to be positive really shows in your behaviour, and that makes people drawn to you,” 

Jeno is stunned into silence - he had always been bad at receiving compliments, and especially from Jaemin. 

“Sorry, I don’t really know what I’m saying,” Jaemin apologises, a little embarrassed upon seeing Jeno’s lack of reaction. 

“No, no, it’s fine, I really appreciate that,” Jeno is quick to reassure Jaemin, who turns to him and smiles. 

“Wait pause, there’s something on your face,” Jeno’s fingertips touch Jaemin’s chin lightly, tilting his face up. Jaemin goes still under his touch. 

“Don’t move,“ Jeno leans forward, lifting his other hand to brush away a stray piece of hair away from Jaemin’s face. 

“There we go,” Jeno says, hands lingering on Jaemin’s face for a beat too long. Both hands never fall from Jaemin’s face - cradling it gently without even realising. He allows himself to stare at Jaemin a little longer. Seeing Jaemin look so content, he knew it was okay to do so. He feels a pair of arms circling around his waist, pulling him close to their chest. They hold each other for a while, Jaemin swaying them back and forth, rocking on his feet. It feels strangely comforting - like he was a baby being lulled to sleep. He feels safe. Jaemin’s eyes flutter shut, and puckers his lips at Jeno playfully - something he always does to annoy Jeno, which Jeno ignores most of the time. 

Jeno had always been a mind over heart kind of guy - he takes pride in being rational. But today, a mischievous streak inside of Jeno tells him that sometimes, doing something different is good. Spontaneity is good. Tonight felt too good, too perfect not to be taking any risks. Before he starts regretting his entire life, Jeno leans down and presses his lips against Jaemin’s quickly - just a peck. As he leans away, Jaemin eyes go wide - his cheeks turn pink, clearly flustered. Gaining the upper hand feels new and exciting. Thrilling, even. 

Before Jeno could become too full of himself, Jaemin says: “Wait, do that again.” And now it was Jeno’s turn to pause. 

Jeno is too stunned to open his mouth to speak - his heart is thumping against his chest, as his brain struggles to process. He simply nods, and closes his eyes. Leaning forward, he closes the gap. He hears Jaemin sigh into the kiss.

The kiss tasted like Milkis - something Jeno had come to associate Jaemin with. Jeno’s heart is full - so full, he feels like it’s about to burst. The two of them stand on the pedestrian crossing, holding each other - an odd place for a first kiss, really. But Jeno supposes that there is a time and a moment for everything, and there was no better place he could think of for this to happen. This entire moment was an embodiment of who they were, and how they got to know each other. A little awkward, clumsy, but fit together perfectly nonetheless, accommodating each other as well as their differences. They were the ebb to each others’ flow, the constant steady rhythm in each others’ lives. 

His heart is soaring - and as they pull apart, he longs for more. 

“Were you speaking mostly for yourself just now? About people being drawn to me?” Jeno takes this opportunity to question Jaemin. 

Jaemin looks up at him. There is a look in his eyes so fond, so full of adoration. 

“So what if I was?” Jaemin grins, and that makes him smile, too. 

This is home.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed this! i had so much fun writing this, so i hope u guys enjoyed this as much as i did writing it 
> 
> and lastly, thank you to the organisers of nomin fic fest - it must have been challenging to organise this especially given the time that we're in now. thank you so much for your lenience and hard work!!


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